Fish Hooks and Free Time
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED) Hey, who can say no to a fishing trip? (Rated for possible language, and maybe a little nookie)
1. 01

Fish Hooks and Free Time  
  
_(A Jack and Jaffer story)  
_  
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1, only Jaffer  
  
Author's note: This takes place in Jaffer's second year, so he's not a puppy. There is absolutely _no_ plot. It's just a story with Sam, Jack, Jaffer, and a little Daniel thrown in since I wanted to play with him a little, too. (Who wouldn't?) I wanted to play with Teal'c and Jack (the dog), too, but Teal'c didn't want to play... ah well...  
  
.......................  
  
"Come on, Daniel..."  
  
"No, Jack, I have a lot to do here."  
  
O'Neill looked around Daniel's office, conceding that he probably did have a lot to do, but unwilling to give up.  
  
"Come on... it's probably the last chance we'll have before the snow falls."  
  
"It's August."  
  
"The snow falls early in Minnesota."  
  
"Yeah... but I think you might be exaggerating... just a little?"  
  
"Daniel..."  
  
"Jack, no. I don't want to go up to your cabin. I have a lot to do here. Why don't you take Sam?"  
  
"I _am_ taking Sam. But she told me to invite you, too."  
  
She wouldn't do that. Would she? Daniel scowled.  
  
Sensing he was beginning to crumble, Jack leaned forward on Daniel's desk.  
  
"You can even bring your work with you, if you'd like. I'll leave you alone so you can work on it. A little."  
  
"Are you bringing Jaffer?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I thought that his vet didn't allow you to take him fishing anymore."  
  
"She doesn't."  
  
"Then how are-"?  
  
"Come with us and find out."  
  
Jack wasn't going to leave him alone until he said yes; Daniel knew this. He sighed.  
  
"Fine. I'll come. It's only for the weekend?"  
  
Jack smiled, and stood up.  
  
"Jack? It's only for the _weekend_, right?"  
  
"Come on, Jaffer..."  
  
The black lab headed for the door with O'Neill, and Daniel truly started to panic, now. He stood up as well.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
He didn't turn around.  
  
"I'll be at your place at four tomorrow, Daniel. Bring plenty of clothes."  
  
"Four?" Daniel stared at Jack's retreating back. "Four _AM_?"  
  
He didn't get a response to that, either.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
O'Neill waved goodbye over his shoulder as he headed down the hall, and Daniel leaned against the door of his office, wondering if there was any way he could arrange to be captured by the Goa'uld between now and four AM the next day.  
  
.....................  
  
"Come on, Teal'c."  
  
"I am busy, O'Neill."  
  
"Too busy to go fishing??"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Too busy to allow Jack a chance to run around and get some fresh air and sunshine?"  
  
"I am taking him with me. He will have plenty of fresh air and sunshine."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I am using the vacation time to visit Ry'ak."  
  
"Why don't you go get him and bring him along?" Jack asked, reasonably. "I'm sure he'd love the chance to see some of Nature's splendor."  
  
"There is plenty of splendor to be seen on Chulak."  
  
"But it's..."  
  
Jack trailed off as Teal'c looked up at him. There was no give in those dark eyes, and Jack knew that he'd lost this argument. Teal'c didn't want to come – or was too busy to come – and this time Jack wasn't going to be able to convince him.  
  
"Fine. Don't come with us. Deny your boy what might be his only chance to see my cabin."  
  
"I am certain he will survive."  
  
"Smart ass."  
  
Teal'c gave Jack what might have been a smile.  
  
"We're going to have fun."  
  
"I am sure you will."  
  
Oh yeah, tons of fun. Teal'c remembered the last time he'd gone fishing, and remembered he'd vowed never to go again. Perhaps if Jack were dying of some terrible disease, and it was his final wish. Otherwise. No.  
  
"Tell Ry'ak hi for me."  
  
"I will, O'Neill."  
  
He waited until Jack was gone, then breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  
  
....................  
  
"You got _Daniel_ to come?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"How?"  
  
"I asked, and he said yes."  
  
"Why don't I believe you?"  
  
Jack shrugged, trying to look as innocent as he could.  
  
"You didn't threaten him, did you?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Then you lied to him."  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"You _did_, didn't you?"  
  
Sam knew that look well.  
  
"Lied is such a harsh word, Sam."  
  
"And yet...?"  
  
"Well... I might have told him that you asked for him to come along..."  
  
"That's not nice."  
  
"He needs some time off. He's been working too hard."  
  
"Some of us like working hard."  
  
"Yeah, well... some of us don't like watching you work too hard."  
  
"Well some of us don't mind if you don't like watching us work too hard..."  
  
"But some of us..." He paused, trying to remember what had last been said. "Some of us... like to do something or the other, which is why we're all going away for some time off."  
  
Carter shook her head. How could you argue with that logic? 


	2. 02

"So you're not going?"  
  
"I am not."  
  
"How did you manage to get out of it?"  
  
"I told O'Neill that I had made other arrangements."  
  
Daniel scowled. _He'd_ had other arrangements, but hadn't gotten out of the fishing trip.  
  
"What other arrangements?"  
  
"I am going to visit Ry'ak."  
  
"Through the Stargate?"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Um... I just came from the Command center. They've found a glitch in one of the dialing protocols and are going to be doing maintenance on the gate for the next couple of days. Did you know that?"  
  
Teal'c looked up from his lunch, the smug expression on his face changed to one of consternation.  
  
"What?"  
  
"They're double checking the gate to make sure that when we send someone somewhere, they actually end up _going_ there."  
  
"When did this occur?"  
  
"Just now."  
  
Scowling, Teal'c backed his chair away from the table and stood up. With Jack at his heels in an instant, the Jaffa headed for the door of the commissary. Daniel permitted himself a slight smile, and reached for Teal'c's abandoned burger.  
  
Ha.  
  
.......................  
  
"I was going to go to Chulak, General Hammond."  
  
Hammond nodded, then shrugged.  
  
"I'm _sorry_, Teal'c. With this glitch, the programmers tell me that there's no way to be sure that the gate will go where it's dialed. We're going to do a full diagnostic to make sure things are right before we allow _anyone_ through it. From either end."  
  
"General Hammond, I-"  
  
"_Teal'c_!"  
  
The Jaffa's eyes closed, and Hammond thought he might have detected a note of resignation in Teal'c's posture. They both turned and saw Jack O'Neill walking through the door, Jaffer trotting next to him as if he owned the place and was just loaning it out to everyone else.  
  
"O'Neill."  
  
There was a definite glint of cheerfulness in Jack's brown eyes, and Teal'c was certain O'Neill had already heard about the gate.  
  
"Guess what I just heard?" Jack asked.  
  
"I cannot guess, O'Neill." He didn't _want_ to guess.  
  
"The gate's down. No one in or out for at least two days."  
  
"Maybe longer," Hammond supplied, unaware that this was not something Teal'c wanted to hear.  
  
"_Maybe longer_," Jack parroted, grinning.  
  
"I have just been informed, myself, O'Neill."  
  
"So..."  
  
"General Hammond, I am willing to risk the glitch..."  
  
"I'm not willing to risk you, Teal'c. Or Jack." Hammond looked down at the yellow lab, who was looking cheerfully up at the others, unaware that Teal'c was about as desperate as he'd ever been.  
  
"Guess you can come fishing with us, after all," Jack said, kneeling down so he could give his blonde namesake a little scratching.  
  
Teal'c sighed, but it was purely mental. Outwardly, aside from the fact that his face was completely expressionless, there was no sign that he was not happy.  
  
"Fine. I will come fishing with you."  
  
"Great! Why don't you pack, and stay at Daniel's tonight, so I can pick you both up together? It'll save time."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Still grinning, Jack gave Jack a final pat, and stood up.  
  
"Well, I have some things I need to take care of before we go. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Teal'c." He smiled at Hammond, giving him a slight bow. "General."  
  
"Colonel."  
  
Jack left and Hammond turned to Teal'c, a look of pity in his eyes.  
  
"Sorry, Teal'c."  
  
"Not as sorry as I am, General Hammond." Teal'c gave Hammond a slight bow as well, and then headed for the door.  
  
_Great_.  
  
......................  
  
"A glitch, huh?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Talk about bad timing..." Sam said, taking a sip of her coffee. She and Jack were sitting in the commissary only half an hour later. Jack was feeding Jaffer a snack, while he and Sam had a cup of coffee, and talked about the upcoming trip, and time off.  
  
"No, Carter. Not _bad_ timing. _Good_ timing. _Now_ he can come fishing with us."  
  
She gave him a searching look, as if trying to figure out if he had anything to do with the glitch. The timing was just so perfect. Jack's expression was totally innocent, though, and Sam wasn't sure – for once – if it was the real innocent look, or if he'd just perfected his fake one so well that she couldn't tell them apart anymore.  
  
"Yeah... I'm sure he was thrilled when you mentioned that..."  
  
"He looked excited to me. But you know how it is with Teal'c. You can never really tell..."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
You _could_ tell. Sam could just see in her mind the look that had probably been on Teal'c's face when he'd found out he was stranded on Earth with Jack pressuring him to come fishing. A thundercloud came to mind. A big, black, bald, thundercloud, with a gold seal on his forehead.  
  
"Well, I'm going to head out," Jack told her, looking at his watch. "How late are you staying tonight?"  
  
"I'll leave here at five or so." Which meant she'd probably leave at 7. "Then I'll need to pack. You want company tonight? Or do you want to come pick me up in the morning?"  
  
Like she ever had to ask.  
  
"Come over," Jack said, smiling. "We'll have dinner."  
  
"You cooking?"  
  
"I'll dial the Chinese restaurant, and order the delivery."  
  
"Fine."  
  
She finished her coffee, and left, patting Jaffer's head softly, although she didn't do anything but say goodbye to Jack. Some day, that would change, but for now, while they were on base, it was just teammates and good friends. It was enough. Jack looked down to make sure Jaffer was done with his bowl of chicken nuggets.  
  
"Ready to go home, little man?"  
  
The black lab's tail wagged, and Jack smiled and stood up as well. They had some packing to do, and some dinner to order.  
  
As they walked out the door, Jack bumped into a guy with a white lab coat on, and smiled. Normally he didn't have much to do with the gate technicians, but this one was an exception. There was always an exception, right?  
  
Reaching into his breast pocket, Jack pulled out a pair of tickets and handed them to him.  
  
"Right behind the Rockies' dugout, just like you asked."  
  
"Thanks, Colonel O'Neill."  
  
"Oh, no, Lieutenant. Thank _you_."  
  
With his grin still firmly in place, Jack and his dog headed for the elevator. It was going to be a great week. 


	3. 03

Author's Note: Hehe, I'm not sure about a rabid bear... maybe something else, though... no promises  
  
......................  
  
It was a quiet group that rode with Jack the next morning. Daniel was dozing in the jump seat behind Jack, leaning forward with his forehead against the back of Jack's seat, Sam was still trying to wake up, nursing a cup of coffee she'd brought with her from Jack's house before they'd gone to pick up the others, and Teal'c was still sulking. Of course, the only people that could tell he was sulking were those who knew him well.  
  
The back of the truck held everyone's bags, which were being zealously guarded by Jack and Jaffer, who didn't mind at all being relegated to the bed of the truck, since it was entertaining to watch the people on the road with them. The labs knew something was up, since they never got up this early in the morning unless something different was happening.  
  
They weren't going to drive all the way to Jack's cabin. Yeah, it was possible to make the drive, but it was a waste of time when it wasn't necessary. The drive was peaceful if you needed some time to think while you were alone – or with Jaffer – but if there were others in the car with you, you weren't going to get a lot of thinking done, anyways. So they were going to fly.  
  
There was a flight leaving at oh six hundred that was taking a small handful of Navy recruiters and instructors from a conference in Boulder back to Great Lakes, which was right near Chicago, so Jack had laid on permission to hop the flight with SG-1. Since there was plenty of room, there was no problem, as long as they were there on time and didn't hold up things. Which of course wouldn't happen. Once they hit Chicago, they'd get a rental truck – since with the dogs a car simply wasn't big enough – and they'd drive to the cabin from there. Jack O'Neill was a very organized guy when he wanted to be.  
  
..............  
  
The flight was definitely an experience. The recruiters and instructors had celebrated the end of their conference by going out on the town the night before, and more than half of them were hung over. These were the ones who sat in the very back of the plane, near the bathroom, and they were also the ones who declined any invitation for breakfast, and were hugging their barf-bags as if they were long lost friends. The other passengers on the flight enjoyed their misery and made sure to remind their suffering friends that they had warned them about the dangers of drinking the night before a flight. Such reminders weren't appreciated, but since there was a lot of turbulence during the flight, there wasn't a lot of time for these men to complain about much more than their rebellious stomachs.  
  
Daniel roused himself just long enough to drink a cup of bad coffee, and then was asleep by the time the plane took off, leaning against Sam, who was also dozing in her seat. Jack sat with the sober recruiters, just shooting the breeze, since everyone else was asleep, and Teal'c was still sulking, and wasn't very good company just yet.  
  
Jack and Jaffer were – as usual – very much the center of attention with the passengers. One of the recruiters was from a family of dog breeders, and knew good blood when he saw it, and he couldn't keep his eyes off the two labs. Which of course was a good way to get on Jack's good side, anyways. Under the stern gaze of Teal'c – who was just as protective of his Jack as Jack was of his Jaffer – the recruiter made friends with the two labs, and then ran his hands along Jaffer's head and chest, shaking his head in admiration. They'd make a fortune in breeding fees if they ever decided to move out to San Antonio, he told them. Jack simply shook his head and said that deep space telemetry was too addicting to ever leave.  
  
When the plane landed, Jack woke Daniel and Sam, gathered his brooding Jaffa, called the dogs to his side, and said good-bye to the squids. His rental truck was waiting for them right outside the gates, and they all loaded into it.  
  
"You guys hungry?"  
  
"I am."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
"I am not."  
  
Teal'c had eaten on the plane, as had Jack and the dogs, but Sam and Daniel had slept through lunch.  
  
"We'll stop someplace and buy groceries, and you guys can grab a bite to eat."  
  
There were nods all around, and Jack headed for the highway. He'd done this what seemed like a million times, so he knew where he was going to stop for groceries, and he knew how long it would take for them to get to his cabin from there.  
  
"With any luck, we'll be at the cabin in time for supper."  
  
Joy.  
  
........................  
  
They made good time, and pulled onto the dirt road that led to Jack's cabin well before the sun was ready to go down. Which was good, since they needed a little time to get the place ready for occupation. The rooms needed to be aired out, the beds needed to be made, the groceries needed to be put away, and firewood needed to be brought in from the pile out back.  
  
His cabin only had two bedrooms, but it wasn't really a problem. Jack and Sam would share one room; Teal'c and Daniel could have the other. Jaffer would sleep with Jack, of course, and Jack would most likely sleep in Teal'c's bed.  
  
Since he was the host, Jack made dinner for the others while they made themselves at home. He'd never had all three of them up to his cabin at the same time, before, and they made the little living room seem even smaller – especially Teal'c – but it was cozy, and even Teal'c was beginning to get over the fact that he'd practically been forced to come along, and was starting to allow himself to enjoy the chance to have time with his friends in such a relaxing setting. They ate off TV trays, but no one minded, and they sat and chatted after the meal was finished, Jack, Sam and Jaffer lounging on the sofa, Teal'c in the only recliner, and Daniel stretched out on the rug in front of the fireplace, using Teal'c's yellow lab as a pillow.  
  
Eventually, they all decided to call it a night. Traveling was tiring, even if half of them had slept the entire day, anyways. Jack told them not to worry about the dishes, saying he'd take care of them in the morning, and they all went to bed. 


	4. 04

Author's Note: Hehe, the reason I don't bring Teal'c all the time, is that I get Jack (O'Neill) and Jack (the lab) twisted up sometimes in a sentence and I just get tangled. And I know if _I'm_ tangled, then the readers have to be as well. Straight up warning now: _If Teal'c is holding a Jack, or stroking a Jack, or doing anything of that nature to a Jack, chances are it's his dog.  
_  
..............  
  
He slipped out of bed far earlier the next morning than he'd intended to. Not that he'd wanted to sleep in, since that was a good thing to do at home, when all you had to look forward to on your day off was yard work, or hanging out at the house watching TV, but when he was at his cabin, well, there was a whole lake of fish to catch – despite the rumors to the contrary – and there was a lot of nature to sit and contemplate.  
  
Sam woke up when he moved beside her.  
  
"Morning?"  
  
"It's early," he whispered, wincing when Jaffer stepped on him to lean over and lick Sam's cheek. She rolled away from the dog, pushing against his head to keep from being slobbered all over. She wasn't ready to wake up completely yet.  
  
"Need me?"  
  
He gestured for Jaffer to get off the bed, and kissed her neck softly, smiling when he felt her shiver at the touch.  
  
"I'm just going to take Jaffer out. Go back to sleep."  
  
She nodded, already almost asleep again. _He_ might not want to sleep in, but Sam most definitely did.  
  
He waited only long enough to make sure she was asleep, then slid out from under the covers and dressed in the dark. Then he headed for the door – where Jaffer was already waiting on him – and went out into the living room.  
  
It was still dark outside, which was a sign of just how early it was, but Jack didn't mind the early hour. A busy day of sitting on the fishing dock napping while waiting for a fish to drop in your lap was going to leave him plenty of time to catch up on his sleep if he needed it.  
  
Jaffer headed for the door leading outside, telling Jack without words that he needed out. So they went out.  
  
It wasn't as dark as Jack had thought it was. The sky was just beginning to light up in the east, and the sun wouldn't be far behind. He stood on the front deck near by the door and watched as Jaffer ghosted through the area, running around, his nose low to the ground as the lab smelled all sorts of smells that he normally didn't smell in Colorado.  
  
"Don't go too far, little man," Jack warned him. Not that he was worried about the dog getting lost, he just worried in general. That was his job, right?  
  
Jaffer looked over at him, wagged his tail as if to reassure him that he wouldn't do anything to get himself in trouble, then resumed his sniffing as he looked for the exact spot he wanted to pee.  
  
The door opened, and a blonde shadow darted past Jack to join Jaffer in his quest. Jack looked over and saw Teal'c coming out the door.  
  
"Morning, Teal'c."  
  
"Good morning, O'Neill."  
  
"Sleep well?"  
  
"Daniel Jackson snores."  
  
Jack smiled. He'd known that. All those allergies, after all, and they had to be doing something to his sinuses.  
  
"Want to sleep with me and Sam?"  
  
Teal'c actually smiled. Jack saw it in the predawn light.  
  
"Perhaps I will sleep on the couch tonight."  
  
"We'll get Daniel some allergy medicine, Teal'c, that'll stop the snoring." Jack promised.  
  
Teal'c didn't reply, but Jack didn't mind. The two of them stood on the deck and watched the dogs frolic with each other – both of them having far more energy in the morning than either Teal'c or Jack – and watched as the sun came up.  
  
"Okay, enough splendor," Jack said, finally. "I'm going to go do the dishes."  
  
"I will help you, O'Neill."  
  
They called the dogs in – neither was willing to let them stay outside without supervision – and headed inside.  
  
By the time Sam made an appearance an hour or so later, the dogs were fed, the dishes were washed and put away, and there was a pot of coffee brewed and waiting. By the time Daniel made his appearance half an hour after that, the first pot of coffee was gone, replaced by another, and breakfast was started.  
  
"Morning all."  
  
"Hey Daniel," Sam said, handing him a cup of coffee which he accepted gratefully. "How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Like a log."  
  
Teal'c scowled slightly, but Jack was the only one who saw it. He snorted into his coffee cup, but gave everyone an innocent look when all eyes turned to him.  
  
"What are we doing today?" Daniel asked, almost as if he were afraid to hear the answer.  
  
"I'm going to go fishing," Jack told him, watching as Sam finished scrambling the eggs, and Teal'c buttered the last slice of toast.  
  
"But you're not supposed to go fishing, Jack," Sam said, confused. "I thought Monica said Jaffer wasn't allowed to go...?"  
  
"Jaffer's not allowed to be near fish hooks, Sam," Jack corrected her, taking a plate of eggs from her when she dished him some. "Thanks."  
  
"Wait a minute," Daniel said, as he took a plate of eggs from Carter as well. "How are you going to fish without fish hooks?"  
  
Teal'c handed out toast to everyone and they sat down at the table to eat this time.  
  
"Oh, I have my ways. Come and see?"  
  
"No, thanks. I think I'll work on the runes I brought with me," Daniel said, shaking his head. He was curious, yes, but he wasn't all _that_ curious. Besides, Sam would tell him.  
  
"If you will take Jack with you, O'Neill, I will have a chance to meditate this morning."  
  
Jack was just as energetic as Jaffer was, after all, and didn't like to sit still for long periods of time if it could be avoided. And Teal'c would much rather do his kelnoreem than fish for non-existent fish all morning.  
  
"Sure, Teal'c. He's always welcome." Jack looked at Sam. "Just you and me and the dogs, then?"  
  
She smiled and shook her head.  
  
"I brought some paperwork of my own to work on, Jack."  
  
Well, it wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, Jack thought a little peevishly, but at least he had them all at the cabin. Eventually he would wear them down and they'd be forced to relax. It'd just take some time, he supposed. He finished his breakfast, and stood up.  
  
"Well, then, you guys can do dishes, and I and the dogs will bring home fresh fish for lunch."  
  
He headed for door, stopping only long enough to get his fishing pole and tackle box, then called the dogs and with one on either side, the three left.  
  
"Think he's mad?" Daniel asked, munching on toast and feeling maybe a little guilty for not spending time doing what Jack wanted.  
  
"No." Sam shook her head. "He's just biding his time."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Daniel didn't ask what she meant, since he was pretty sure he already knew. He and the others finished their breakfast, then started their monring.

......

Author's note: Monica is Jaffer's vet, for those who don't remember, or didn't know


	5. 05

Author's note: Nah, I was always planning on bringing him, I just wanted to get his little Jaffa hopes up in the first chapter and dash them in the second. He's too self-assured sometimes, you know?  
  
.............  
  
Daniel and Sam took over the table. Both of them had brought their laptops, and both had their half of the table covered with notes and papers galore. The laptops were almost identical, aside from the Jaffer-made chew marks on the corner of Sam's laptop, and the chew marks that Jaffer had left on the top of Daniel's. Even though their work was nothing alike – Daniel was working on keys to the past, and Sam was trying to figure out a technology of the future – the two of them would occasionally ask each other a question, or make a comment about something interesting that they were doing.  
  
There was always work they could be doing, and while both of them understood that Jack wanted them to be having fun, they just didn't find the same things entertaining that he did. They liked the challenge of their work. Jack liked the challenge of trying to get them to stop working. They enjoyed the mysteries that they uncovered with each problem they solved. Jack simply figured the world was better off if it was allowed to keep a few mysteries to itself. So he'd told them time and time again, anyways.  
  
Not very surprisingly, they lost track of time while they were working. It was Teal'c who brought them back to the here and now.  
  
"Have you been working this entire time?"  
  
Sam looked up at the sound of his voice, and then looked down at her watch. It was well past noon.  
  
"Wow."  
  
Daniel looked down at his own, and was equally surprised.  
  
"Where did the time go?"  
  
"Where did Jack go?" Sam asked, standing up and stretching.  
  
"Where have you been, Teal'c?"  
  
"In our room." He'd been catching up on the rest Daniel's snoring had robbed him of the night before, although he'd never mention it to Daniel, since he knew it was hardly intentional.  
  
"Jack hasn't been back?"  
  
"I have not seen him."  
  
"I hope he's okay."  
  
"What could possibly hurt him out here in the middle of no where?"  
  
"_Rabid bears_?" Sam hazarded.  
  
Daniel smiled, and shook his head. "Let's go see what he's up to."  
  
"You mean check on him."  
  
"Why not? He does it to us all the time when he hasn't seen one of us in a while."  
  
Wasn't _that_ just the truth?  
  
They all headed for the door, and out into the bright afternoon. It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the blue above them was something only seen on the most perfect of days. There were all sorts noises coming from the woods around them; the most noticeable were bird calls, and small animals making a racket at each other, but the ones that were missing were the sounds of trucks, and cars, and machinery of any sort. It was quiet and peaceful. Just like they knew Jack liked it.  
  
"He's probably still fishing." Sam said, leading the way down to the dock.  
  
"With no hooks?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"I said he was fishing, not _catching_."  
  
"I have never seen a fish pulled from these waters," Teal'c told them.  
  
It was he who first decided that there were no fish in the lake, and Daniel had said that it was probably just some big joke nature was playing on Jack O'Neill.  
  
"I haven't, either," Sam agreed. But she'd only been up here once or twice. Work made it difficult for her to get away as often as Jack would have liked for her to, and when she did get free time to be alone with him, they tended to just stay in, and not bother traveling the distance to the cabin.  
  
"There he is."  
  
Jack had pulled a lounge chair out onto the dock, and was stretched out in it, looking about as relaxed as he could. He'd stripped off everything but a pair of shorts and sunglasses, and was using his t-shirt as an improvised pillow. Resting against his chest was the leather necklace Shawn had given him years before, and the arrowhead was shiny and worn after years of being worn.  
  
Standing on the edge of the dock, looking down into the water, were Jaffer and Jack. Both labs were soaked and looked as if they'd been having the time of their lives. Their tails wagged fiercely when the three approached the dock, and Jack bolted over to greet Teal'c with an enthusiastic bark. One of the few differences between him and his brother, since Jaffer rarely barked, and Jack was a fairly vocal dog.  
  
Teal'c rubbed Jack's head affectionately, ignoring the water that was getting all over him when Jack leaned closer into the Jaffa's touch. He loved to be petted! Jaffer stayed next to Jack, who reached out and took hold of his dog's tail, and tugged it slightly, making Jaffer turn and show Jack his large teeth in mock viciousness.  
  
"Some day he's going to bite you," Sam warned, smiling, as she walked onto the dock.  
  
"That'll be the same day the Red Sox win the World Series," Jack said, smiling up at her as she came over and rested her hand on his sun-warmed shoulder.  
  
"So you're saying it's never going to happen?"  
  
"Yup." He turned his head and saw that everyone had come out of the cabin. "Decided to get some fresh air?"  
  
Daniel walked over and picked up Jack's fishing pole, which was resting in a notch on the dock. The line was cast, but Jack wasn't paying any attention to it. He wasn't even close enough to grab it if he got a bite.  
  
"What are you going to do if you get a fish on the other end?" He asked Jack.  
  
"Reel the line in, Daniel." It wasn't the answer to the question, it was an order, and Daniel gave him an odd look and did as he was told. And was surprised to find that the only thing on the end of the line was a lead weight.  
  
"There's no hook."  
  
"I can't have hooks around Jaffer. You know that."  
  
"Then how are you going to catch any fish?"  
  
"I thought you promised us fresh fish for lunch?" Sam said at the same time, walking over and looking at the pole Daniel was holding.  
  
"I did."  
  
Jack pointed at a large bucket that was sitting on the dock next to him, resting almost under his lounge chair, which was why they hadn't noticed it. Daniel crossed over and looked down into it, and then over at Jack.  
  
"Where did you get those?"  
  
Sam went to look, followed by Teal'c. Inside the bucket, swimming idly, were several large fish. Mostly bass from the looks of it, although Sam was hardly an expert on fish.  
  
"How did you...?"  
  
"There is no hook on your line, O'Neill." Teal'c said, scowling down at the fish. Proof positive that there were actually fish in the lake.  
  
Jack shrugged. "I invited all of you to come and watch, didn't I? But no... you were _too_ busy with your little projects to come and spend time with-"  
  
"Jack."  
  
Sam's voice interrupted his little tirade, but since it wasn't an actual rant, he didn't mind. He looked up at her.  
  
"How did you catch these?" 


	6. 06

"Do you really want to know?" Jack asked her. "Isn't it kind of fun not knowing and letting your mind come up with all sorts of possibilities?"  
  
"Did you use a net?" Daniel asked, looking around for one.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"_I_ give up."  
  
Well, that hadn't taken long. Jack smiled; Sam looked like she was about ready to strangle him, and Teal'c looked almost as annoyed.  
  
"Fine..." He pointed to his tackle box. "Hand me that, Daniel." He wasn't going to get up if he didn't need to.  
  
Daniel did as he was told, and brought the box over, expecting to see some kind of new-fangled device that would allow someone to catch a fish without a pole or a hook. Instead, when Jack opened it, he pulled out a slice of bread, and started ripping it up.  
  
Ignoring (although he was privately enjoying) their looks of curiosity, Jack stood up with a groan, and walked over to the edge of the dock, standing next to Jaffer and looking down into the water. He didn't see anything, but the water was so clear that he could look all the way down to the bottom.  
  
He tossed the bread pieces into the water and watched them floating for a minute, keeping his hand on Jaffer's head to let the dog know they weren't for him. Jack came trotting over to stand on the edge of the dock, too, watching with interest to see what was going on.  
  
"Jack...?"  
  
"Hush."  
  
Daniel scowled.  
  
Sam walked over and looked down into the water, standing beside Jaffer. She could see several dark shapes in the water, all drawn to the bread, which was beginning to sink from the surface and down towards the bottom.  
  
"Hey! There's _fish_ in-"  
  
"Hush..."  
  
Sam scowled, but turned to Teal'c, gesturing for him to come see. The Jaffa walked over to the edge of the dock and looked down. Sure enough, they were fish. Rather than be hushed by Jack, he simply looked at them, wondering if O'Neill had stocked fish into the lake recently, just to prove him wrong.  
  
Jack watched the fish in silence for a few moments, and then snapped his fingers. Immediately, Jaffer plunged into the water, splashing all of them, and disappearing completely under the surface for a moment. They all stared, wondering what the heck was going on. Surely Jack hadn't meant for Jaffer to get in the water and scare all the fish off. But when Sam and the others looked over at Jack to see what his reaction was, O'Neill was simply watching the whitewater fly as Jaffer splashed in the water enthusiastically. A moment later, the black head came back to the surface, and in his mouth was a wriggling, very annoyed and very large bass.  
  
"_Holy shit_!"  
  
Jack couldn't help but smile, both at Daniel's reaction, and in pride, since that wasn't a trick that the guys at the base had taught Jaffer. The black lab swam to shore, still carrying the wriggling fish, and then came out onto the dock and stopped in front of Jack, his eyes grinning cheerfully up at Jack.  
  
"How did he learn to do that?" Sam asked, smiling as she watched Jack take the fish from his dog, and examine it to make sure there weren't any puncture wounds from Jaffer's teeth.  
  
Jack shrugged and dropped the fish into the bucket with the others.  
  
"He used to catch the little ones on the shore and eat them before I could take them away from him, so we just moved on to the bigger ones. He's pretty good at it."  
  
Jaffer shook himself mightily, spraying all of them with water droplets, but the others were too impressed at that moment to care, and Jack wasn't wearing anything but shorts. He'd dry.  
  
Sam walked over, knelt down and looked into the bucket. She kind of felt sorry for the fish swimming there, unaware they were just waiting to be killed and eaten.  
  
"Fresh fish for dinner tonight," Jack gloated, slapping Jaffer's side affectionately and misinterpreting the reason for Sam to be looking at the fish.  
  
She frowned. "Why don't we barbeque tonight, instead?"  
  
"Barbeque the fish?" That didn't sound all that appetizing.  
  
She shook her head, trying to pretend she wasn't feeling sorry for the fish, since she knew she'd just be opening herself up for a lot of teasing. And probably not just from Jack.  
  
"Burgers, or steak?"  
  
"You don't want fish?"  
  
She shrugged, looking over at the others to see if they would object. Neither Teal'c nor Daniel seemed to care. Daniel's expression was one of understanding, which meant that he probably understood what she was thinking, and at least for now, he wasn't going to make fun of her for being mushy.  
  
"I'd rather have a burger."  
  
Jack scowled, looking down at the fish, and then over at Teal'c and Daniel, who shrugged.  
  
"Burgers are fine with me, Jack." Daniel told him.  
  
"I am willing to forgo fish, as well, O'Neill, in favor of a burger or two."  
  
Jack shrugged as well, and picked up the bucket.  
  
"Well, I suppose I can clean them and freeze them for tomorrow..."  
  
Now Sam knew that he'd caught on to why she didn't want fish for dinner, and he was teasing her, waiting for her to try and stand up for them. To use a fishing metaphor; he was baiting her. And she knew it. And worse; he knew she knew it. It was maddening.  
  
"Jack..."  
  
He grinned, and walked over to the edge of the dock, kneeling down and dumping the fish back into the water so they could swim off.  
  
"Don't worry, Sam. The fun part's the catching, not the eating. We can have burgers."

She blushed slightly, but no one noticed since the redness could have been attributed to the sunny day, and leaned over to rub Jaffer's wet face.

"We'll even give you an extra burger, Jaffer, since you had to do all the hard work."

That was fine with Jaffer. He wagged his tail, more than willing to catch fish all day if it meant a lot of hamburgers at night!


	7. 07

They stayed on the dock for quite a while that afternoon. The day was nice, and even Daniel and Sam – overachievers whether they admitted it or not – had to admit it was too nice out to stay inside and work on their laptops.  
  
Instead, they threw sticks for the dogs to chase, both in the water and on land, and spent time with the group. They didn't talk about work. They didn't talk about missions, or their allies, or even any alien except for those aliens they just happened to have family ties with. They talked about little things; instead of how to save the world yet again, and even discussed – of all things – the weather. This was when they were deciding if it was too hot to eat out, or if they should eat inside that evening.  
  
They teased Daniel about his love life, teased Jack and Sam about their love life, and teased Teal'c about his lack of a love life. No feelings were hurt, nothing more intimidating than a scowl was expressed – and even the scowls were more a habit than anything – and by the time night was beginning to fall, Daniel, Teal'c and Sam had become as relaxed as Jack was. Which had been his intentions all along. Somewhere along towards evening, he'd leaned back in his lounge chair, a slightly triumphant smile on his face and watched as Teal'c and Sam tossed Daniel into the water in retaliation for some comment the archeologist had made.  
  
Then Jack's smile grew when Jack and Jaffer jumped in after the younger man, fully intent on saving him before he could drown. Both dogs grabbed Daniel's shirt, hampering his swimming just a little, although they actually did start to pull him towards the shore before Teal'c and Jack called them off so he could swim freely.  
  
Jack stood up and pulled Daniel up onto the dock as the labs went to the shore then came around to run onto the dock and whuffle Daniel to make sure he'd taken no harm.  
  
"Who's hungry?" Jack asked, ignoring Daniel's cries for help as he was buried – literally – in a dog pile.  
  
"I am."  
  
"Me, too," Sam agreed, grinning as Daniel tried to push Jaffer away, only to have him bounce right back on him. Wrestling was good for Daniel, as far as Sam was concerned.  
  
He'd known they were going to barbeque at least once during their trip to the cabin, so Jack had made sure to buy plenty of meat. Not only because they were big eaters when given the opportunity, but also because there were two large labs to feed as well, and Jack would never have had a burger without making at least one for Jaffer and Jack as well. While Daniel was still trying to free himself of the dogs, and Sam was still giggling about it, Jack went into the small shed next to the cabin and pulled out the barbeque and charcoal and other things needed for an outside cookout.  
  
Teal'c walked over and watched.  
  
"Do you require assistance, O'Neill?"  
  
"Nah. Not unless you want to cook?"  
  
"I will."  
  
"Then I'll let you." Jack didn't mind relegating some of the cooking chores, and he'd done it enough that he knew Teal'c was at least as good at it as he, himself, was, so it wasn't going to ruin their dinner, that was for sure. "You and Sam cook the meat, Daniel and I'll make the rest of it."  
  
"We will?"  
  
Jack and Jaffer had decided that Daniel as a chew toy just wasn't quite as interesting as coming over to see what Teal'c and Jack were up to, so they'd allowed the archeologist a chance to regain his feet, and Daniel and Sam had migrated over to see what was going on, too.  
  
"Why not?" Jack shrugged. "You and I can make potato salad, and deviled eggs and all that good stuff. Besides, it'll give you a chance to get dried off."  
  
Daniel echoed Jack's shrug. He didn't really care what he did, and he found that he was actually looking forward to spending time in the kitchen with Jack. What a scary thought! This whole fresh air thing was beginning to get to him, apparently.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Sam agreed, slapping Teal'c's shoulder, companionably. "We'll have burgers and hot dogs, and save the steak for another time."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
In a very rare show of affection, Teal'c put his arm around Sam's waist and looked over at Jack with a smirk.  
  
Jack snorted, and rested his arm on Daniel's shoulder. "We'll have our potato salad done before you have the hotdogs and burgers done."  
  
"I doubt it," Sam said, a gleam of a challenge in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, there's no doubt Sam," Daniel said, throwing down the gauntlet. "It takes far less time to boil potatoes than it does to get charcoal ready. Everyone knows that."  
  
"Fine. We'll make a contest of it. Losers do dishes."  
  
There were nods all around, and Daniel and Jack disappeared into the cabin, while Sam and Teal'c started piling charcoal into the grill.  
  
.................  
  
"You cheated."  
  
"No, we didn't."  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
"No, we didn't.  
  
"You did, O'Neill."  
  
"How did we cheat?"  
  
"You sent Jaffer out to pester us."  
  
"Hey, is it my fault he finds meat more interesting than potatoes?"  
  
"It is when you tell him to steal the lighter fluid."  
  
"Hey, I didn't tell him to. He just did it. And remember, I brought it back. I could have kept it. _That_ would have been cheating."  
  
Teal'c and Sam didn't look convinced, but Daniel was nodding his agreement as Jack finished off yet another hotdog.  
  
The food was good. Even with Jack and Jaffer helping them eat, there was more than enough of everything that all four people were stuffed to the gills before they pushed their plates back, and Jack leaned back in his chair, his brown eyes gloating.  
  
"Just remember, Sam. There are no losers. There are just those who don't win." 


	8. 08

They relaxed further that evening. Once dishes were done – and yes, Jack and Daniel decided to help, even though they didn't really have to – Jack pulled out a pile of board games before Daniel and Sam had a chance to decide to go back to their laptops and paperwork, then all but ordered them to come play with him and Teal'c. They hemmed. They hawed. They scowled and whined, and then they pouted. But they played. And they eventually enjoyed themselves.  
  
Jack teamed up with Teal'c this time. Which made Sam and Daniel gloat, because hey, they were both geniuses. Their smiles grew when Jack pulled out the Trivial Pursuit game. Oh, yeah. There was going to be a _drubbing_!  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to switch the teams around, Jack?" Sam asked, magnanimously.  
  
"Why would we do that?" Jack asked, sitting next to Teal'c, and sliding his bare feet under Jaffer's warm body. The black lab and his blonde brother were both stretched out under the table, leaving very little foot room for the humans.  
  
"Well... the teams are a little... _uneven_, don't you think?" Daniel asked.  
  
Jack looked over at Teal'c, who shrugged, then back at Daniel and Sam.  
  
"Nah, we're good with the teams as they are."  
  
"It's your funeral."  
  
So they played. And there _was_ a drubbing. Trivial Pursuit is not a game designed for geniuses. It's a game designed for people with a lot of knowledge about a variety of things. It's also a game where luck of the draw plays a big role in things. Teal'c spent a lot of time in front of the TV on base, and watched a variety of programs in order to learn about the people of the world he'd allied himself with. Jack, of course, was a TV hound, and a sports hound, and the Colonel and the Jaffa were far more of a threat to the two scientists than they'd expected them to be. They got the right questions at the right times, and maybe they didn't know all the answers when they were asked them, but they did know enough of them. And they knew more of them than Daniel and Sam. At least on this night they did.  
  
"Bwahaha."  
  
Daniel scowled as Jack dropped the last piece into his little pie thing, and Teal'c couldn't help but look a little smug as well. His pie was already filled. They'd won.  
  
"Maybe we should switch teams?" Jack asked, innocently. This time, the innocent look was obviously crap, and Sam scowled as well. But she couldn't stay mad. They'd been beat fair and square, and Jack was just too cute.  
  
"I don't want to play again." Sam said, using her bare foot to rub Jaffer's belly under the table. "I think I'm ready for bed."  
  
"Me, too," Daniel said.  
  
Jack shrugged, and started putting the game pieces away while the others got up and stretched.  
  
"I am going to take Jack out, O'Neill. Would you like me to take Jaffer as well?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Teal'c."  
  
Jack gestured for Jaffer to join Teal'c and Jack, watched as they headed through the door, then smiled when Sam came over to stand behind him, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders.  
  
"This really was a good idea," she murmured softly in his ear.  
  
"The game?"  
  
"The trip."  
  
He nodded, glad she thought so, but he didn't gloat about it, or remind her that she hadn't really wanted to come with him in the first place. He'd gloated enough already this particular day.  
  
He reached up and took her hands, pulling on them lightly so she eventually had his upper body encased in an embrace.  
  
"I'm glad you're having a good time."  
  
........................  
  
The next morning Jack slept in. Not that he'd actually intended to, but Sam woke when Jaffer did, and she slid out of bed and took the black lab out so he wouldn't wake Jack, and although he'd stirred slightly when she and the lab left the bed, Sam merely kissed him softly and caressed him gently until he'd been lulled back to sleep. Then she'd closed the door behind her and headed outside with Jaffer.  
  
The black lab bounded happily around Sam, more than willing to use her as a surrogate for Jack. At least for a while. His brown eyes watched her cheerfully even while he sniffed the air to find out if anything had changed since the day before. Apparently satisfied that there wasn't anything out there that was going to be a threat to her if he left her on her own for a few minutes, Jaffer wandered away from Carter's side, and went off to find a place to pee. Well aware that she was responsible for Jack's baby at that moment, Sam made sure to keep an eye on Jaffer – much the same way the black lab was watching her – and for the same reason.  
  
"Morning, Sam," Daniel was up early as well, and Sam turned just in time to see Jack come bounding out the door, racing over to his brother.  
  
"Hey, Daniel." Sam flashed Daniel a smile. "You're up early."  
  
"I was going to say the same thing about you."  
  
"Where's Teal'c?"  
  
"Making coffee. Where's Jack?"  
  
"Asleep, still."  
  
"We should fix that."  
  
"Not after I went to all the effort to get him back to sleep."  
  
"But it could be so much _fun_..."  
  
She smiled. Daniel had just as much a mischievous streak in him as Jack did. He just hid his most of the time, and Jack never bothered to hide his.  
  
"Come on, let's go make breakfast. Then you can wake him up if he's still asleep."  
  
She called Jaffer, who came rushing over, followed by Jack, who passed him easily. Jaffer was bigger than Jack, but Jack was faster because of it, and he ran through the door, barreling into Teal'c, who had started the coffee and was coming out to check on things. The Jaffa caught his dog easily, keeping Jack from hurting himself or Teal'c, and picked the heavy lab up in his arms to make an opening for Jaffer, who didn't stop very well, and never had. The black lab slid across the kitchen floor, finally stopping with a thump against the far wall.  
  
"Crazy dog," Sam walked over to check on Jaffer, but the big lab was fine. He wagged his tail, and licked her hand. He was used to running into things, and it would take more than a wall to stop him. A sound caught his sharp ears, and Jaffer turned his head, just in time to see Jack coming into the kitchen, his dark eyes worried.  
  
Even in his sleep, Jack had heard the unmistakable sound of a heavy body hitting something, and knew right away what it was. He knew the sound well, after all. He was out of bed immediately, coming to make sure his baby was okay. But Jaffer wasn't spoiled. Oh, no. Not at all.  
  
"He's fine, Jack," Sam said, grinning. God, Jack mothered the rest of SG-1 like crazy, but it was nothing compared to how much he mother-henned Jaffer.  
  
O'Neill gave her a nonchalant look, trying to act as if he hadn't been worried, and knelt down as Jaffer came over to him.  
  
"I wasn't worried, Sam." Jack said.  
  
Of course not.  
  
She didn't mention the way his hands slid along the black hide, looking for any bumps. 


	9. 09

Author's Note: No promises how much I'll be writing today and tomorrow.... Today is my birthday and I'm not sure what my family has planned for me, since they're weird and like to keep that kind of stuff secret until the very last minute. (However, I am starting my 9-day vacation today, so that's a plus)  
  
................  
  
Once Jack had reassured himself that Jaffer was fine – as subtly as he could – he went back to the bedroom and got dressed. Then he joined the others around the table for the first cup of coffee.  
  
"So when are we going home, Jack?" Daniel asked, taking an appreciative sip of his coffee. Not that he wasn't having a far better time than he'd expected, but he had only brought so much work with him, and he had a lot more to work on back in his office.  
  
"In a hurry?" Jack didn't even pretend to be hurt. He was pretty impressed that the others hadn't whined or pouted after the first day, and figured anything after that was just bonus time.  
  
"I have some stuff I need to take care of back home. Not that I'm not having a good time, mind you, because I _am_..."  
  
"Sam?"  
  
Jack turned to Carter, waiting to hear how much of a hurry she was in to return home. She shrugged.  
  
"I have some things I could be taking care of, too, but it's been... _nice_... here."  
  
He was watching to see if she was being facetious, but she seemed to be sincere, and he was pretty good at reading her expression.  
  
"I, too, have enjoyed myself this weekend," Teal'c admitted. Of course, part of his pleasure from the weekend was that Jack had had so much fun running around the cabin, and playing in the water. Things he didn't always get to do at Cheyenne Mountain. His dog having fun was always bound to rub off on Teal'c.  
  
Jack grinned, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"Why don't we stay another day?" He asked them. "We have plenty of food, and I'd like a chance to use up those steaks. We can have them tonight, and if you guys still want to go home, we'll go tomorrow. Fair?"  
  
It was fair. And far more reasonable than they'd expected. They'd expected Jack to put up a fight about going home, and even though they hadn't discussed it between the three of them they'd all been thinking of various excuses to get him to let them go home if he showed signs of wanting to stay too much longer than they wanted to.  
  
Teal'c nodded his agreement to the deal, which pretty much shot down any other argument. If the Jaffa was willing to stay, the others would, too. Jack smiled, but did a fair job of hiding his smugness.  
  
"Good! Who wants breakfast?"  
  
Daniel and Jack made breakfast. French toast and sausages, as much as they could eat, since they had a lot of food to use up, and of course, another pot of coffee. Of course, whatever they didn't finish at breakfast, Jack and Jaffer were more than willing to help finish off.  
  
"_They're_ going to get sick," Sam said, shuddering as she watched the labs eat syrup covered French toast and sausages at an alarming rate.  
  
"Nah, it's not going to hurt them." Jack told her with an indulgent smile in Jaffer's direction. "They've both had far worse."  
  
Yeah, that was definitely true.  
  
"What are your plans for today, you guys?" Jack asked them, wondering if they were planning on working on their paperwork stuff or if they were going to go outside and spend time with him again that morning. Actually, though, if they wanted to be inside, he'd be okay with that as long as they didn't spend the entire day inside. He'd doze on the dock this morning, and spend time with them this afternoon.  
  
"How about a hike?" Sam asked.  
  
_Exercise_? On vacation?  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"A hike?"  
  
"Sure. Why not?"  
  
"Um..." This was from Daniel, who wasn't finding the idea any more appealing than Jack was.  
  
"I will hike with you, Major Carter." Teal'c offered. He liked to exercise.  
  
"Come on, Jack," Sam said, leaning forward, slightly. "It'll be fun. And it's only fair you come hiking with me, since I _did_ come to the cabin with you." She didn't mention he hadn't had to trick her like he'd had to trick Daniel, and she was still pretty unsure about the whole glitch in the gate at the exact moment Teal'c wanted to leave, thing. Somehow she was sure Jack had something to do with that. No matter how innocent he looked and acted.  
  
"Fine, I'll go hiking."  
  
It _was_ only fair, after all, he supposed. But he was going to sulk about it!  
  
Sam smiled, and then turned to Daniel, who groaned inwardly. He wasn't going to get out of hiking, either, and he knew it. Could tell just by the way she was looking at him.  
  
"Yeah, me too." There was a definite tone of resignation in Daniel's voice, but Sam chose to ignore it.  
  
"Great! We can walk off breakfast." She stood up, followed immediately by Teal'c, Jaffer and Jack (the dog). Jack and Daniel neither one made a move to get up.  
  
"What? _Now_?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
He looked around, searching for any excuse.  
  
"What about the dishes?"  
  
"What about them? They can wait until we get back. We'll soak them."  
  
Jack scowled, and cast an imploring look over at Daniel, hoping he'd come up with something. Anything. The look he was given in return was a blank one. And just as desperate. But, no. Jack sighed and got to his feet, as well. So much for a nap on the dock this morning.  
  
They put the dishes in the sink, and headed outside. The dogs bounded down the few steps and headed out into the woods, looking back frequently to make sure their humans were still with them, then bouncing ahead when they saw they were. Jack and Teal'c made no effort to call them back. As far as they knew, there was nothing dangerous in the woods, and even Jaffer, who was a past master at getting himself in trouble, would have a hard time finding anything to tangle with bigger than a rabbit or squirrel.  
  
Or so they thought, anyways.  
  
They'd been walking – _forced marching_, as Jack privately referred to it – for more than a half an hour when Jaffer came tearing back from the left side of the faint trail they were following to go the other direction – straight across their path and back into the woods. He was followed, and then passed, by a streak of tan, and the four stopped and watched, wondering what they were up to. Jack was barking furiously, although Jaffer wasn't making any noise – not even a growl, which told Jack that whatever they'd found to keep themselves occupied, it wasn't dangerous.  
  
"I hope it's not a skunk," Daniel said.  
  
Jack hadn't even thought about a skunk. He scowled; looking at Daniel like it was going to be all his fault if it did turn out to be a skunk.  
  
Then they heard a high-pitched shriek – an odd sound that Jack thought sounded slightly familiar, although he couldn't place it – coming from the same area the dogs had just run into.  
  
"What was that?" Sam asked, curiously. Jack had already turned off the path and into that general direction. Whatever it was, he wanted to make sure it wasn't dangerous.  
  
The bushes rustled, and they heard a high giggling sound. Jack stopped. The others stopped as well, each one wishing they had a weapon, even though they were certain they didn't really need one. It wasn't like they were on some other planet, after all. But nothing feels more comforting than a Berretta when you're facing something unknown in the bushes.  
  
Then Jack came out of the bush, looking over his shoulder, his tail wagging furiously, his attention not on Teal'c, who called him, but on whatever was following. There was another giggle, and Jaffer appeared right behind Jack, his head high and something large in his jaws. Something that was wriggling.  
  
"'_Oggie_!"  
  
"What the hell...?"  
  
"_Jaffer_!"  
  
The black lab gave Jack an innocent look, and wagged his tail. Hanging from his mouth by the belt of a pair of very dirty pants, was a child, no more than two and looking for all the world like the oddest, biggest and happiest puppy in the world.  
  
"_'Oggie_!" 


	10. 10

Author's note: Thank you all for the birthday wishes, and I'm sooo _bummed_. I didn't get served breakfast in bed by Jack _or_ Daniel. Damn. (I would have settled for lunch, or dinner...)

...........................

"Where-"?  
  
"Jaffer! Drop it!" Jack called, immediately, interrupting Daniel. "Him."  
  
"Her."  
  
The black lab gave them all a surprised look, as if he couldn't understand what the fuss was about. As if he fetched little kids every day. But he did lower his head and plop the child gently onto the ground.  
  
They crowded around immediately, wondering where in the world he'd managed to find him. Her.  
  
"Somebody's gotta be frantic," Jack said, reaching out and helping the child regain her feet. His feet? "Wonder where he came from?"  
  
"It's a girl, Jack."  
  
The three men looked at the child, who had soft dark curls and big blue eyes.  
  
"How do you know that, Sam?" Daniel asked, reaching out and pulling a twig from the child's hair. It was just at that age where you couldn't really tell – except by the clothing – what the sex was, and in this case the clothing was ambiguous. Little blue jeans, a pair of blue flip-flops and a plain white t-shirt. No frills, no lace, and no teddy bears, but nor was there any sign of a baseball player, or a monster truck, or some other thing that would tell them it was a boy. And a diaper, which was a sure sign she was way too young to be out roaming the forest alone.  
  
"I don't know. But I know I'm right."  
  
Daniel looked at Teal'c, who shrugged. He didn't know.  
  
"_'Oggie_!" The child giggled, completely unconcerned about meeting four strangers in the woods and being dragged along by a big dog like a chew toy. Especially since Jaffer's soft mouth was easily as tender with the child as it had been with the fish the day before. There were no scratches, and Jaffer and Jack had never been biters. Especially with kids.  
  
"Yeah, he's an 'oggie," Jack agreed, looking around, confused. "Where's your mom and dad?"  
  
The blue eyes looked up at him, but the little hands were clutching Jaffer's dark fur. Probably not comfortable for the black lab, but he didn't complain.  
  
"Hello?!"  
  
Daniel's yell surprised the child, who looked over at the archeologist in surprise. The lower lip began to tremble.  
  
"No, no..." Jack and Sam had both caught the danger sign of a child about to cry, and both leaned forward, ready to soothe. They didn't want tears!  
  
"Daniel! Don't yell... You're scaring him. Her."  
  
"Her parents must be around here, _somewhere_, Jack."  
  
"Well go find them. Teal'c, go with him." Teal'c was easily the best tracker of the group. "See if you can figure out where she came from, and retrace her steps."  
  
Teal'c nodded, and called Jack to his side, knowing the yellow lab would come in handy in the hunt for the child's parents. The yellow lab sniffed the child once more, then moved away reluctantly, following Teal'c and Daniel into the woods back the way he'd come from.  
  
"She doesn't seem to be hurt." Sam said, running her fingers along the child's cheek, smiling reassuringly, hoping to convince her not to cry.  
  
"Nah, she's not hurt," Jack agreed, echoing Sam's smile. He liked little kids, so he didn't even have to pretend to be nice, like he might have with someone else. He reached over and ran his hands along her little frame, watching for any sign of hurts, but she didn't even seem to have a bump. "Just lost."  
  
"_'oggie_?" She pointed at Jaffer, with an obvious question in her eyes, but who knew what she was asking.  
  
"Yeah." Jack agreed, again. "What's your name?"  
  
"_Huh_?"  
  
Sam smiled.  
  
"What's your name?" Jack asked again.  
  
"_Huh_?"  
  
"Your name?"  
  
"_Huh_?"  
  
Sam giggled, and the sound drew the little girl's attention from her new game with Jack to Sam.  
  
"You try, Sam."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Jack scowled. "Not _that_ part."  
  
She laughed, and took hold of the child's hands, smiling. "What's your name, honey?"  
  
"_Huh_?"  
  
"I give up," Sam said, standing up, and swinging the child up into her arms. "Let's see if we can find your folks."  
  
"There's a ranger station over by town," Jack said, standing up as well. Jaffer was watching his prize intently, as if reminding Sam not to drop her. He hadn't dropped her, after all. "If Daniel and Teal'c don't find the parents we'll take her to there. Someone will come looking. She can't have been gone all that long. She's not crying, so she's probably not hungry."  
  
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked the girl she was holding.  
  
"_'Oggie_!" She pointed at Jaffer, leaning over Sam's arm and looking down at the black lab.  
  
"Yeah, he's always hungry," Sam agreed.  
  
Jack came bounding out of the woods, followed by Teal'c and Daniel, who were both scowling.  
  
"There is no sign of her parents, O'Neill," Teal'c reported.  
  
"They have to be somewhere."  
  
"They are not here."  
  
Obviously.  
  
"You don't think someone would have abandoned her, do you?" Daniel asked, his blue eyes serious as he reached his hand out and touched the child's fingers. The serious look faded immediately when she smiled at him, and stretched her arms out to him, leaning away from Sam. She wanted a change of scenery.  
  
"Nah, she's too cute to be abandoned," Jack said, looking around once more. Of course, he knew better. There were always bastards out there who'd do terrible things, and Jack knew that more than pretty much anyone. But in this case, he'd at least try to be optimistic. She _was_ too cute to be abandoned. "Most likely, she wandered away, and either hasn't been missed yet, or her parents are looking for her."  
  
"Or maybe something happened to them?"  
  
"Maybe." Jack shrugged. "We'll go find a ranger, first. They'll know if someone's lost a child.  
  
Daniel cooed the little girl, who was now in his arms, and bounced her lightly on his hip. She giggled.  
  
Despite himself, Jack smiled. Giggling kids were just something he couldn't resist. Giggling kids and big brown-eyed labs. He scratched Jaffer's ears, and gestured for the dogs to move out ahead of them. They'd hear a person (or persons) long before Jack and the others would, so they'd watch jack and Jaffer closely as they headed back towards the cabin.


	11. 11

Author's note: No, this little girl isn't Sam's. There's no Asgard in this story, and no ancients in it, either. Just SG-1 and the dogs (and the kid who likes to say 'huh'?)  
  
................  
  
They didn't find any parents. Not on the way back to Jack's cabin, anyways. They looked, and they listened for anyone calling for someone, but not even the dogs heard anything. If someone was looking for the child, they weren't close to finding her.  
  
"Can someone carry her, please?" Daniel asked. He wasn't out of shape or anything, but the child was squirming after about ten minutes of walking and he was having a tough time holding onto her. He wasn't used to holding a kid. Especially a toddler.  
  
"I got her," Jack said, reaching his hands out to the little girl in invitation. Really, it would be her choice if O'Neill carried her, since Jack knew little kids well enough to know that ripping her out of Daniel's arms was hardly the best way to keep her happy. He was a father, after all, and had lived through Charlie's toddler days.  
  
The child readily accepted the change of bearers, and Jack cuddled her close for just a moment, then swung her down close enough that Jaffer could take a swipe at her with his tongue. She squealed in delight, making Sam grin.  
  
"Don't drop her."  
  
"I'm not going to drop her," Jack told her, then pretended to do just that, eliciting yet another squeal, and a happy bark from Jack, who came over to stick his nose against the child's cheek when Jack held her upside down for just a moment.  
  
"'Oggie!"  
  
He was still holding her when they reached the cabin about twenty minutes later, but Jack handed her over to Teal'c when they walked through the door.  
  
"Hold her for a sec, and I'll get her something to eat."  
  
The Jaffa scowled, and held the child at arms' length. He wasn't completely uncomfortable around children – he was a father, too, after all – but human children (the really little ones like this one) seemed so fragile to him. Certainly too fragile to be alone like she'd been.  
  
The toddler eyed him owlishly, as if deciding if she wanted him to hold her like he was, and Sam smiled.  
  
"Try not to look so intimidating," Sam suggested. "She's not going to bite you."  
  
"I am not concerned that she will bite me, Major Carter," Teal'c said, looking over. "I am wondering who would leave their child to roam the forest alone."  
  
"Wouldn't we all like to know?" Daniel asked, sitting down on the sofa with a sigh. An hour hike wasn't his idea of a good time, although he was glad they'd been there to find the toddler. "I wonder how long she's been walking around..."  
  
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, as Jack returned with a glass of milk and handed it to Carter.  
  
"We'll see if she needs to be fed, then take her to the ranger's station. Unless there's a police station on the way." Which there wasn't. Jack knew the area fairly well, after all. But there was always a chance that someone was out looking for her, and he could hope that they ran into a cop or a search party.  
  
The toddler squirmed in Teal'c's hands, reaching for the glass of milk, and the Jaffa willingly handed her over to Carter, who gave Jack back the glass so she could take the girl. Then she sat down next to Daniel with the child on her lap and took the glass of milk once more, this time handing it to the girl, who started drinking clumsily, spilling more than she managed to get inside her mouth. Jaffer and Jack both gathered around, more than willing to help Sam with the spilled milk on her leg, and Carter almost dropped the girl and the milk both when the two dogs tried to get the same drop of milk off her jeans.  
  
"Jaffer, back."  
  
The black lab sighed, and took two steps back, followed by Jack, who was given the same command by Teal'c. Then he sat there and watched, waiting for the milk glass to fall. He was certain that it would. All he had to do was wait.  
  
"Don't you have something she can eat, Jack?" Daniel asked. "Milk isn't very filling."  
  
"I have steak, Daniel," Jack said. "And your chocolate covered coffee beans..."  
  
"You can't feed her that."  
  
Duh.  
  
"How about crackers, Jack?" Sam asked. "Don't you have some?" She thought she'd seen a box.  
  
"How long do crackers stay good?" He asked, looking in the cupboard. He had a box of crackers, but they'd been there for a while.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"Some genius you are..."  
  
"I'm a rocket scientist, not a Keebler elf."  
  
........................  
  
They ended up giving her a slice of buttered bread, which she ate as they put her in the truck. She shared a jump seat with Carter, who was the smallest of the group, and Daniel got into the truck behind the driver's seat, while Teal'c loaded Jaffer and Jack into the back of the truck. They'd go, because it was a lot safer than leaving the dogs alone in the cabin. Which was the makings of a disaster, and Teal'c and Jack both knew it.  
  
"The ranger station's about ten miles from here," Jack said as he helped Sam buckle her seatbelt. Carter had a handful of child and bread, and she smiled her thanks at the help.  
  
"Hopefully someone's there."  
  
"Someone will be there." He hoped. He came around the back of the truck, slapped Jaffer's shoulder affectionately as the lab looked down at him from his position in the bed of the truck, got behind the wheel and started the engine.  
  
"We could just keep her," Daniel said, looking over at the child, and smiling. She had butter all over her face. "Think she'd fit in the luggage rack on the plane?"  
  
"Think Hammond would notice?" Jack asked, grinning. "We could get one of those backpack things and Teal'c could carry her around under his coat. Say the lump is some new Jaffa tumor or something."  
  
Sam smiled, and even Teal'c expression told them he found it amusing, although he didn't join in the joking, since he wasn't really all that good at it, yet. 


	12. 12

The parking lot of the ranger station was fairly empty, but it was always empty, anyways. Especially this time of year. Summer was just winding down, and the tourist season, as it were, was just about over. So there wasn't as much need for a lot of rangers and support staff. Of course, SG-1 thought differently at that moment. The more rangers the better, as far as they were concerned just then.  
  
Daniel was carrying their lost waif as they went inside, hoping that it wasn't as deserted as it looked, and there was no one there to challenge them with a 'can I help you?' when they walked through the front door. The small lobby was empty, and the three desks behind the small railing divider between the lobby and the office were also abandoned.  
  
"Maybe they're all out looking for her?" Daniel hazarded, looking down at the girl in his arms, who didn't seem at all concerned about being lost.  
  
"It's as good a guess as any," Sam said, shrugging.  
  
"Well they should have left someone here," Jack said, scowling. "I would have."  
  
He looked over at the CB radio that was sitting on one of the desks behind the railing. It was a base unit; bigger than the ones that were undoubtedly in the rangers' vehicles, and probably capable of more range. Definitely capable of getting through to anyone that might be listening, Jack decided. He walked through the divider gate and over to the desk, followed by Teal'c, who had noticed an odor coming from the child and was certain that there was a problem that would need to be addressed soon. A problem _he_ didn't want to be volunteered for.  
  
Jack picked up the mike; once more looking around for someone in the office, then keyed it.  
  
"Yeah... where are all the rangers?"  
  
"_This is Hank Loren. Who's this?"_  
  
"Jack O'Neill. Is this the Hank Loren that runs around in the ranger suit with the green jeep 4x4?"  
  
"_Colonel O'Neill?"_  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
_"When did you get in?"_  
  
Some ranger he was. Jack smiled, though. He actually liked Hank.  
  
"Couple days ago. Where are you?"  
  
"_Out looking for a lost child. Was there something I could do for you, Colonel?"  
_  
"A lost... girl?" Jack asked, smiling over at his team. So someone _was_ looking for her. That was good.  
  
"_Affirmative. You haven't seen one, have you?" Even over the staticky radio they could hear a faint hope in his voice._  
  
"About two? Black hair? Blue eyes?"  
  
"_Wearing jeans and a white t-shirt_," The ranger confirmed.  
  
"Yeah, we've got her, Hank," Jack confirmed. "Found her while we were out hiking this morning."  
  
"_Where are you now, Colonel?"_ Now there was definite relief in his voice.  
  
"At the ranger station," Jack replied, and then caught a whiff of the odor that Teal'c had noticed before. "You might bring a diaper with you..."  
  
"_We're on our way_." His voice was jovial, now. "_There's a diaper bag beside my desk. We'll be there in fifteen minutes_."  
  
"We'll be here." Jack almost said 'O'Neill out', which he would have said had he been talking with one of his team, or someone else who was Military, but he stopped himself just in time. He set the mike down, and looked over at the others, again.  
  
"Thank God," Daniel said, smiling down at the girl, who reached up and took hold of his glasses, leaving a buttery smear on them when Daniel moved his head aside. "At least someone's looking for her."  
  
"Yup." Jack sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose, and looked down by the desk he was standing next to. Sure enough, there was a diaper bag. A large pink affair with a long handle that looked like Teal'c could crawl on in it and still have room for Jaffer. Reaching down, he picked it up and frowned. It was heavy, too. The joys of parenthood, Jack thought, smiling slightly as he held it up.  
  
"Who's going to change her?"  
  
"Not me."  
  
"Not me."  
  
"I am not inclined to do so."  
  
"Daniel, _you're_ holding her."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Possession is 9/10 of the law, and all that."  
  
"That's not fair, Jack. I don't even know _how_ to change her. You do. You should do it. I'll probably just hurt her."  
  
"You can figure out languages never before seen by humankind, but you don't think you can change a diaper?" Jack asked, shaking his head.  
  
"I'm sure it's _very_ complicated..."  
  
"It's easy," Jack disagreed. "It's just not fun." He looked over at Carter, who shook her head.  
  
"Uh, uh." The next kid she'd change would be her own, as far as Sam was concerned. "You have the bag, Jack... possession is 9/10 and all that..."  
  
O'Neill scowled, and looked over at Teal'c. There was no way the Jaffa was going to allow himself to be tricked into changing the child. He didn't even try to come up with an excuse. He just crossed his arms over his chest, silently.  
  
"_Fine_, I'll change her..."  
  
Jack cleared himself some working space on one of the other desks, and searched the diaper bag for necessary items. A diaper, some powder and wipes were all arranged next to the bag before he reached over the barrier and took the child from Daniel.  
  
"Don't think this means we're going out, though," he chided the little girl, who smiled at him, completely unconcerned by his scowl and his demeanor. She already knew he wasn't someone to be afraid of.  
  
''_Oggie_?"  
  
"Oh, believe me, it's the next trick he learns," Jack promised, crossing over to the desk and carefully laying her down on it. 


	13. 13

They waited outside. The day was warm, but not overly so, and the weather was nicer outside than inside the stuff ranger station. Besides, Jack and Jaffer were outside, and Jack wanted to keep an eye on them. Just because it was better to keep an eye on them than to not keep an eye on them and end up cleaning some mess they'd made because they'd grown bored.  
  
Jack was holding the child. It was only fair, he'd told them, since he'd had to change her. Daniel had complained, since _he'd_ been the one to throw away the dirty diaper, and so he thought he should at least get to hold a little of her.  
  
"Possession is 9/10, Daniel," Jack had said, carrying the toddler outside, slightly upside down, much to her delight.  
  
"Well... how about the _other_ tenth?"  
  
Jack shook his head, sitting the child up on the edge of the back of his truck so Jaffer and Jack could see her, and she could see them. She squealed with delight when Jack stuck his nose into her ear, and giggled when Jaffer's tongue slashed across her cheek, leaving a slobbery trail. The dogs loved little kids, and rarely had a chance to get so up close and personal with them.  
  
"Should have thought about that when I was looking for someone to volunteer to change her..."  
  
"_Come on, Jack_," Daniel wheedled, "I'll change her the next time."  
  
"Oh, yeah, like there's going to be a next time."  
  
He handed her over, though.  
  
"Just don't drop her."  
  
"Yeah, like I'm really going to drop her..."  
  
"Just be careful..."  
  
"I will, Jack," Daniel said. "Stop nagging..."  
  
"I'm not nagging."  
  
"Yes, you-"  
  
They were interrupted by the arrival of a green jeep. It pulled into the parking lot at a much greater speed than the posted limit, and the passenger door was opened before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop. A man stumbled out of the jeep, tangled up and struggling with his seatbelt for a moment, then tripping and falling, only to bounce right back up. Then he made a beeline for the truck and the people standing around it.  
  
"_Kelli_!"  
  
The little girl turned at the sound, but the man's voice wasn't the only sound heard just then. Twin growls permeated the air as the stranger rushed over to the truck, and SG-1 turned and looked with surprise at the two labs in the back of the truck. Both had their heads low, in similar positions of mistrust and warning. Jack and Jaffer didn't like this man, and even as he reached Daniel and put his hands out to take the girl from the archeologist, Jack reached over and took her from Daniel first.  
  
"Easy, chief."  
  
The man stopped short, looking at Jack in surprise, then annoyance.  
  
"What are you doing? That's my little girl you're holding!"  
  
Jaffer's low growl turned into a deeper one, warning the man not to use that tone of voice with _his_ Jack. He didn't like the threatening sound, and he was very much in a position to make sure it wasn't used again.  
  
The man seemed to realize the sudden danger he was in, and paled slightly as he looked at the two dogs. Both were showing their teeth, although Jack's growls were still only in the early warning stage, and both had their hackles up slightly, making them look even more ominous.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked, stepping back. "Give me my little girl!"  
  
Jack looked at the girl in his arms. She wasn't looking like she was in any hurry to go to the guy, although it was obvious from the smile on her face that she recognized him. So he was probably who he claimed to be. Still, Jack's own instincts were screaming at him to make sure, and they were just as hard to ignore as the warning growls that Jaffer and his brother were making.  
  
The ranger walked over as well, curious as to why Jack was still holding the little girl when it was obvious the man wanted to, and smiling when he saw Jack and Jaffer in the truck.  
  
"Did you get a new dog, Jack?" The ranger asked, then realizing that both dogs were growling – something he'd never seen Jaffer do before – and the girl's father was scowling like a thundercloud. "What's going on?"  
  
"_He_ won't give me my daughter."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Ask him. And tell him to shut those dogs up."  
  
"What's up, Jack?"  
  
"Do you know he's the girl's dad, Hank?" Jack asked. "Are you sure, I mean?"  
  
"He's got her birth certificate, Colonel," Hank replied, shrugging. "His name's on it. I checked his Driver's License."  
  
"Did you run him?"  
  
"What for?" The man asked, angrily. "I'm not a criminal! I just want my daughter back, and we'll go!"  
  
"Why did you leave your daughter to roam in the woods alone?" Teal'c asked in that calm, deep, and very imposing voice he had.  
  
"I didn't leave her... she wandered off while I was taking a leak."  
  
"That must have been some leak," Daniel said, shrugging. "For her to have gone so far that you couldn't find her..."  
  
"Look, just give me Kelli, and let us get on our way... I just want to get her home."  
  
Jack looked over at Hank, who shrugged.  
  
"He's her father, Jack."  
  
"Run his name, Hank. Will ya? Just to make sure?"  
  
"Wait a minute! You can't keep me away from-" The man's tirade was interrupted by a snarl. Jaffer's front feet were up on the edge of the truck bed now, and it was obvious he was only moments from jumping the guy. He didn't smell right anyways, but Jaffer definitely didn't like the way he was yelling at Jack, and he'd already had the only warning Jaffer was going to give.  
  
Jack handed the little girl over to Teal'c, who took her easily in his powerful arms, cradling her close this time, instead of at arm's length as he had the first time he'd held her, then turned to the girl's father.  
  
"Let me explain something to you," Jack said, taking a step closer to the guy, who took a prudent step back. He was larger than O'Neill, but not by much, and he was well aware of the large black dog that was hovering just over Jack's left shoulder, ready to rip his head off, from the looks of things. "I don't know you. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't think much of anyone who loses their little kid in the forest."  
  
"It was an acci-"  
  
"I don't care." Jack interrupted him. "Now... this is what's going to happen. I'm going to go with Hank, here, and we're going to run your name through the computer – just to make sure there's nothing there that shouldn't be – then, and only then, when I am completely satisfied that you're not the scumbag my dog seems to think you are, will we hand over the little girl to you. Got that?"  
  
"You can't do that!" He turned to the ranger. "He _can't_ do that!"  
  
Hank shrugged. He was having his own doubts about the guy from the way he was acting.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill is a duly appointed officer of the government, Mr. Paulson. If he wants to run your name, I'm not going to stop him."  
  
"But you're a _ranger_! You're supposed to be-"  
  
Jaffer's snarl once more stopped the man, and Jack looked over his shoulder. Jack's snarl was just as menacing, and the yellow lab's feet were now up on the edge of the truck, too.  
  
"You're asking for a lot more trouble than you're going to be able to handle..." Jack warned, almost companionably, although his brown eyes were cold and unweilding. "I suggest you lower your voice." 


	14. 14

"I'll go run him, Colonel," the Ranger said, well aware that Jack didn't need him around to make sure nothing happened. Hank didn't exactly know what O'Neill did in the Military, but he knew the type well. He'd _been_ the type, back in his own Military days, which had been during Vietnam and before. If Jack wasn't sure, then Hank would double check the father, just to make him sure.  
  
"Thanks, Hank." Jack said, smiling over at the Ranger before turning his serious gaze back on the dad, who was looking a little uncomfortable, but obviously trying to hide that fact. "Why don't we go wait inside?"  
  
They all walked to the station, with Teal'c still carrying the child. No one objected when Jack and Jaffer jumped out of the truck and walked beside Teal'c, who was scowling at the man who was the child's father.  
  
"This shouldn't take too long..." Hank said, vanishing into the separate office that had his name on the door.  
  
"Have a seat," Jack said, giving the father a smile that came nowhere close to reaching his eyes.  
  
Giving him a look that plainly said he wanted to be anywhere else, the man sat down, reluctantly. It wasn't as if he had a choice, after all.  
  
.....................  
  
"Jack? Got a minute?"  
  
It was about ten minutes later, and Hank had made an appearance at his office door. The first one he'd made since he'd entered it.  
  
"Sure." Jack looked down at Jaffer, who was sitting at his feet, between Jack and Sam, and pointed at the father, who Jaffer had been giving mistrustful looks at for the past ten minutes. "Watch him, Jaffer."  
  
He stood up and headed into the office, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"He's her father..." the Ranger said, handing a readout to the Colonel.  
  
Jack didn't bother to look at it. He could tell there was more to the statement than just that; simply by the way the Ranger's expression was set.  
  
"He kidnapped her four days ago. Some kind of custody thing. Apparently he figured if he could get her to Canada, he'd be able to keep her. It's just luck that you happened to find her after she'd wandered off..."  
  
"Did you call the cops?"  
  
"The state police and the mother are on their way now. They knew he was somewhere in the area, but didn't bother to inform us - only the local cops. They'll be here shortly. You guys mind sticking around until they get here? I could use the back up."  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
"No telling what he'll do when he finds out..."  
  
"It doesn't matter what he does, Hank," Jack said, shrugging. Jack wasn't being over confident, but he knew they had the upper hand on this one. "Let's go have a talk with dear old dad, shall we?"  
  
..............  
  
They walked out of the office, but Jack didn't say anything right away. The first thing he did was cross the room and hold his hands out to Kelli, who'd been wriggling happily in Teal'c's arms. The Jaffa gave him a curious look as the little girl submitted willingly to being passed over to the Colonel, but Jack didn't say anything. Not yet. He took the toddler over and placed her on Sam's lap, right next to Jaffer and Jack, knowing the dogs would occupy the girl much more completely than any member of the SGC could. This also freed Teal'c's hands, and placed the child closer to the fanged protectors. No matter how Paulson reacted, he'd be ripped and bleeding long before he managed to spirit that kid away from Jaffer and Jack's watchful eyes.  
  
Only then did Jack stand next to the door, and lean against the wall, turning his contemptuous gaze upon the father, who'd been watching him curiously, not realizing until it was done just how thoroughly he'd been thwarted.  
  
"We know..."  
  
He glared at Jack, his eyes cold and angry, and his fists in tight balls at his sides, obviously wanting to confront him. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, looking at Jack as well, wondering what it was they knew. His expression was pretty similar to Sam and Daniel's as well. Jack, of course, was completely unconcerned by the glare. He'd been face to face with things this guy would never believe, and there was no way a look from him was going to intimidate the Colonel.  
  
"The police are on the way, so you might as well just sit tight, and enjoy the scenery."  
  
Since the scenery included two large dogs that were watching him carefully, obviously sensing his anger and hatred, and just waiting for him to do something stupid so they'd have any excuse to act on their instant dislike for him, there was really very little the guy could do but just that. Even he wasn't desperate or foolish enough to try something with such formidable odds. Which was fine with Jack, since he didn't want the little girl to have to see anything like that, anyways. So he glared, and sulked. And Jack and the others ignored it completely, and watched as the little girl played with Jaffer's tail, much to the black lab's enjoyment.  
  
.......................  
  
Waiting really wasn't something Jack enjoyed. He wasn't all that good at standing still – although he was a champion when it came to lazing about. He tended to pace, or to check his watch continuously, or to make annoying noises, and do about a million other things. Anything to make the waiting go by faster. This time, however, he didn't do any of that. He just leaned against the door, watching the room as intently as any of the others were, and keeping an eye on Paulson to make sure he didn't try anything dumb.  
  
Since he was by the door, he was the first one to hear the cars pulling up, and was able to simply turn his head and see the state patrol logo on one of the cars. The other was a blue Blazer with no logo. Both came to a halt somewhere out of Jack's view, and a moment later they all heard car doors slamming and people heading towards the door of the station. Jack moved slightly so he wouldn't get run over.  
  
"Kelli!"  
  
The first person through the door was a slight woman of about twenty-four. It was easy to see that she was at least related to the little girl, since her dark hair was a perfect match for the toddler's and the blue eyes were dead on.  
  
The little girl raised her head at the sound of her name, and gave a brilliant smile, squirming in Sam's lap, obviously wanting down, and the mother rushed over, stopping slightly when she saw the two large dogs standing between her and her daughter.  
  
Jaffer was suspicious. He loved meeting new people, but this one was as full of emotions as the man had been, although only a little of that was fear, and he decided after just a moment of careful scrutiny that it was just fear of him. Which would never do. Wagging his tail idly, to let her know she didn't have anything to fear from him, the black lab sniffed her hand while Sam let the little girl down off her lap so she could run over to her mother.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
The little girl bumped into Jack's butt, who whirled and licked her face, eliciting giggles, and the yellow lab barked excitedly when the toddler was scooped up into her mother's arms.  
  
"Oh, sweetie, I was so worried!" She looked over at Paulson, who was in the process of being handcuffed by one of the state patrol officers who'd followed the woman through the door. "You _son of a bitch_! How could you have done that?"  
  
He was going to make a comment, everyone could tell. His face colored brilliantly, and Sam was certain that he was going to start cussing her out, but Jack glared at him, and the guy decided to save his yelling for another time, when he wasn't under such a watchful eye. Instead, he was led out of the room and to one of the patrol cars, and the mother turned tear- filled eyes on Sam, who'd been holding her daughter when she came in.  
  
"Thank you so much! I was so worried about her! He wasn't supposed to be in the state... I was told he'd moved back to Edmonton... I was so scared when I looked in the backyard and she wasn't..." She couldn't continue around the sobs of relief and remembered terror, but she didn't need to.  
  
Sam smiled, and gave her a reassuring hug, child and all.  
  
"We're just glad we could help."  
  
They were still for a moment, but the child squirmed and Sam let her go, giving her mother a chance to wipe her eyes, and regain a little composure. Daniel handed her a tissue, which she took with a small smile.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She looked down at the dogs, who were watching the child and her mother with cheerful brown eyes, and like so many before, the young woman found them irresistible, and couldn't help but smile back.  
  
"They're beautiful..."  
  
Jack barked, but Jaffer just preened, knowing he was being mentioned as well. He had a tendency to pose when someone was watching him, and he was doing that then, which just made him look that much better.The little girl turned in her mother's arms, twisting until she was practically upside down and could touch Jack's nose.

"'Oggie!"  
  
"They're okay." Jack's words did nothing to hide his love for his black monster, though, and even the woman, who knew nothing about O'Neill and the others, knew that Jack owned one of them, just by the way his eyes gleamed with pleasure at the compliment.  
  
"Would you sell them?" There was no mistaking the fact that the two dogs liked her little girl, and the little girl liked them. If she had a dog, maybe there'd be less chance of something like this happening again.  
  
It wasn't the first time someone had asked about buying Jaffer, and Jack knew it wouldn't be the last. He simply smiled and shook his head. He'd rather rip out his heart and feed it to a Goa'uld.  
  
"I'm afraid not."


	15. 15

"Well, that was a lot crazier of a day than I expected," Daniel said as they pulled up to Jack's cabin much later.  
  
It was early evening, and they'd spent most of the day – after their hike – in the ranger's station, talking to Hank, the state patrol officers and Kelli's mom, who was a delightful young woman who couldn't stop thanking them for all their help. She'd insisted on taking them to lunch, and rather than decline, Jack agreed, understanding that she needed a little more time with them, to make sure they understood what it was they'd done for her.  
  
They'd understood completely, and had assured her repeatedly that they were glad to help, and no, they weren't angels, just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Jaffer had easily disproved the angel notion when he'd stolen Kelli's lunch right out of her hand when he thought no one had been looking.  
  
"Yeah. But a _good_ day," Jack said, shutting his door and gesturing for the dogs to jump out of the truck.  
  
"Indeed." Teal'c had had a chance to spend time with the little kid, and he liked it, even though he'd never have admitted it to anyone.  
  
"What are you going to do now, Jack?" Daniel asked as they walked in the door, nearly being run over by the dogs, who were eager to get in as well.  
  
"Dishes."  
  
He'd left them in the sink, and now it was time to do them, even though he really thought a nap on the dock sounded far more pleasant. Especially since the heat of the day had given way to a nice, cool evening.  
  
"I'll help you," Sam offered, coming over and sliding her hand along the small of his back, smiling.  
  
"We'll start the barbeque, then," Daniel said, gesturing to himself and Teal'c. "We need to use up those steaks, right?"  
  
O'Neill nodded, wondering if Daniel was eager to use the steaks up because once they were gone, it would be time to go back to Colorado, or if he was just hungry. Really, it didn't matter. Jack figured every day they'd stayed after the first one was all bonus time. His team had been really good about putting up with being out in the woods away from their doohickeys.  
  
"You do that."  
  
Both dogs followed Teal'c and Daniel out the door, assuming that they had a better chance of mooching food off the guys that were going to be doing the cooking than they would the two people who were washing dishes.  
  
Sam's hand had slid underneath the back of his shirt and she was now caressing bare skin, and Jack found it difficult to concentrate on running dishwater into the sink. Luckily, it didn't require a lot of help from him, and he could turn and pull Sam into his arms and steal a quick kiss. Which turned into a lengthy one.  
  
"We could send them back out hiking," Jack suggested, slightly breathlessly, once they'd broken the kiss.  
  
Carter laughed, and rested her cheek against his chest, feeling his heartbeat and listening to it at the same time.  
  
"I think Daniel would throw us in the lake if we even suggested it."  
  
"Probably."  
  
He reached over and turned off the water, and hugged her close for another moment, before reluctantly releasing her. Ah well.  
  
It took them a lot longer to do the dishes than it should have. There were countless interruptions; Jaffer and Jack coming in and asking for treats, Daniel and Teal'c coming in once the barbeque was fired up and asking if they were ready to start grilling, Jack and Jaffer returning for another treat, Daniel coming in looking for a bug killing candle, Teal'c coming in to gather the steaks from the fridge, Jaffer and Jack coming through, soaking wet from having jumped in the lake, Teal'c coming in looking for towels to dry himself off... it went on and on. But eventually the dishes were done, the barbeque was heated, the steaks were cooked, and they pulled out the leftover potato salad, garden salad, potato chips and other picnic foods, and settled down to eat off the newly cleaned dishes.  
  
............  
  
"So, we're going home tomorrow?" Sam asked, leaning back in her chair after she'd finished eating.  
  
Jack shrugged, and handed Jaffer down the last piece of his steak, then wiped his hands. "If you guys are ready to, I suppose we can."  
  
"Are we going to be able to catch a flight back to Cheyenne Mountain?" Daniel asked, trying not to look too enthusiastic about leaving.  
  
"If not Cheyenne, we'll catch one to Fort Carson, Peterson, or Schriever. We can get home from any of them." Jack wasn't worried about getting a flight, and it showed. "If all else fails, we can just commandeer a plane and fly ourselves." That would, of course, be a last resort, and only if an emergency came up. But it was always an option if they were that desperate. Jack, of course, would never be that desperate.  
  
He leaned back as well, his hand under the table and resting on Sam's thigh easily. She smiled over at him and put her hand over his. He could sit like this pretty much the rest of the night, and if given the chance, he would have. 


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue:  
  
"It's about time, Colonel."  
  
Despite the annoyed tone of voice that Hammond was using, Jack grinned as he walked into the briefing room three days later.  
  
"Sorry, Sir."  
  
He didn't _look_ all that sorry, but he was trying. Carter walked in behind him, smiling despite herself when she heard the exchange, and Daniel and Teal'c, who were also in close proximity both scowled when they heard it.  
  
"I thought you were going to be back on Tuesday?"  
  
"We _were_, Sir," Jack said, sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs and pushing it forward so he was actually sitting at the table. "We had a... technical difficulty."  
  
"Jaffer ate the key to the rental," Daniel elaborated, sitting down as well. The archeologist was as tanned as Hammond could ever remember seeing him, as was Sam. Obviously, they'd been out in the sun more than they'd expected to be.  
  
"Why didn't you call for another?"  
  
"We did. They had to bring it to us, and they had to find the place."  
  
"And the person delivering the vehicle was given faulty directions." Teal'c looked over at O'Neill, as though waiting for an admission of guilt, but Jack just raised his hands and shook his head.  
  
"I _told_ you guys, they didn't ask me how to get to the cabin, so I didn't give them any false directions."  
  
It was obviously a continuation of a conversation they'd had before, because Teal'c and Daniel both scowled, but didn't say anything else.  
  
"Do I dare ask how the vacation went?"  
  
"We caught lots of fish, Sir."  
  
"We did not."  
  
"Jaffer did."  
  
"_Jaffer_?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. We didn't eat any though..."  
  
"Although by the time we'd been at the cabin two days longer than we'd brought groceries for, I was tempted," Daniel admitted.  
  
"Isn't there a grocery store somewhere around there?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. Jack and Teal'c walked to it."  
  
Oh yeah. No key for the rental car. Hammond shook his head.  
  
"Long walk?"  
  
"Indeed." Teal'c looked annoyed, although he always looked annoyed, really, so there was no telling.  
  
"So they finally brought you a new car?"  
  
"Yeah. Then they asked for the key to the other one."  
  
_Ick_. Hammond wasn't going to touch that question. Sam broached the subject for him.  
  
"We... didn't have it... yet, Sir."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"They were going to charge me _forty bucks_ to replace it," Jack said, shaking his head. "I pointed to the front yard, and told them to wait a day or so."  
  
Despite himself, Hammond smiled. He could see Jack doing just that.  
  
"Did we miss anything, Sir?" Sam asked, to change the subject to one that was a little more suitable to after breakfast.  
  
Hammond shrugged.  
  
"They finished their diagnostic of the Stargate and found it was working fine. The glitch was apparently a self-corrective one."  
  
"Better safe than sorry, though. Right, General?" Jack asked, looking over at Teal'c, who scowled mightily.  
  
"Definitely."  
  
No matter how annoyed Teal'c was to have been stuck on Earth, Hammond would never have risked him going through a faulty Stargate.  
  
Carter, who still had some suspicion about how much Jack actually had to do with that faulty Stargate, gave Jack another searching look, but he had his innocent face back on, and there was no chink in his armor at that moment. Why would there be? He'd just had five whole days at his cabin, with his entire team as company.  
  
"At least you had your laptops," Hammond said to Daniel and Carter, who both scowled. "So you could get some..." He trailed off, noticing the looks. "You didn't take your laptops?"  
  
"Oh, we _took_ them, General..." Daniel said, looking over at Teal'c, who scowled as well.  
  
"Jack chewed through the power cords." The Jaffa admitted.  
  
"Colonel?"  
  
"Not _me_, Sir..." O'Neill rolled his eyes. "_Teal'c's_ Jack."  
  
"So once the batteries ran out – and that happened pretty quick, since neither of us recharged them after the first day..."  
  
"We were stuck enjoying ourselves with Jack..." Daniel finished.  
  
"You make that sound like it's a _bad_ thing," O'Neill said, giving them all a hurt look. "_I_ think we had a good time."  
  
"_I_ think I got poison ivy all over me," Daniel complained, holding up an arm that was covered with a rash.  
  
"It's not _my_ fault. I didn't tell you to go-"  
  
"Is that contagious?" Hammond interrupted.  
  
"No."  
  
"Has Doctor Fraiser seen it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're dismissed to the infirmary, Doctor Jackson."  
  
"But..."  
  
Hammond shooed him away. Since he knew absolutely nothing about poison ivy, he wanted to make sure it wasn't going to spread to the rest of his command. Doctor Fraiser could be trusted to be certain.  
  
"Once I hear from Fraiser, we'll meet back here and discuss your next mission."  
  
"Yes, Sir." They all stood up, recognizing a dismissal when they heard one, and Daniel walked off, grumbling to himself about fairness, and power cords and who knew what else.  
  
"So you had a good time, Jack?" Hammond asked, as the others cleared the room.  
  
O'Neill smiled.  
  
"It was great, Sir. Don't listen to them; they wouldn't know a good time if it came up and bit them in the ass. You'll have to come with us sometime."  
  
Hammond's smile was forced as he nodded and headed for his office. He'd rather be rolled naked in a vat of honey and attacked by a swarm of killer bees.  
  
The End!  
  
Author's note:  
  
So! A cabin story!... remember: There was not supposed to be any plot. I never promised anything more than humor, which I supplied, I think. With that in mind: What did you like? What did you not like? What would you like to see? (no promises) 


End file.
